Pakistan, you are a failed state. Not because of Zardari. Not because of America. But because you are a failed people, all of us undeserving of sympathy. We are diseased, rotten to every brain stem, world please make an impenetrable fence around us, keep us all in so we don’t spread it to other people, other countries.

These were words I posted on a social networking website. I have an unusually negative mindset these days. It happened after I saw the video of the two teenage brothers brutally clubbed to death by a crowd frenzied with blood thirst in Sialkot. The police watched gleefully. The video has blurs at certain parts, but even this sensible sensitivity does not prevent one from seeing mists of blood flaying from the heads of these teens as they are hit relentlessly, and remorselessly, again and again.

The murderous crowd was truly representative of the richness of Pakistan. Some wear jeans, others shalwar kameez, some were bearded, others clean shaven. The Pakistanis had gotten together to have some fun.

Do not be shocked. This wasn’t isolated, it’s just that the crowd wanted to make sure their orgasmic moment could be captured for later viewing, at one’s pleasure. We blame our ill-educated brethren for the barbarity we witness, but that’s a self-serving lie.

The middle and upper classes are immune to education it seems. They hold opinions of everyday violence even if they have never raised their hand at anyone. If you believe Jews are the scum of the earth, all Ahmadis deserve to die or that Hindus are inferior, well why not two teenage boys?

I want Pakistanis to feel shame, in fact a substantial loss of self-esteem would be great. This is the only way for us to begin to doubt ourselves and the incessant excuses we make. Yes, the world is right to add restrictions on our visas, to see us as dangerous. If for even a while we felt we were the cockroaches of the human race, maybe we would get to the point we stopped the lies we tell ourselves and let this continue.

The fact is, if we had real democracy, there would be no internet in Pakistan, women would not be allowed out of their homes, education would come to a standstill and we would begin a programme of killing off every minority. Thank you corrupt generals and politicians, you keep this at bay with some sense of being answerable to a world that still has some humanity in it, even if you don’t.

And please, no excuses, no excuses. Don’t give us that, “If only there was true Islam they would be better”. I think a thousand years is enough, we can’t wait longer. And there was no America in existence for most of that, or even western colonialism.

You want to know just how sociopathic we are? In response to these killings some are happy to say we deserve earthquakes and floods. Typical. Don’t change yourself, but give credit to the indiscriminate and inhumane forces of nature. The floods are a tragedy, an atrocity and should never be used to bolster an argument that really only demands self-reflection.

And please, in your self-reflection don’t call us animals, most of them are benign vegetarians. Also don’t blame Sialkot; they were just unlucky because they are subject to scrutiny. There is so much more out there.

There is such a sense of sickening moral superiority in Pakistanis, it needs to be addressed. All we care about is foreign policy, eager to point out the hypocrisies of the world, silent on our domestic, or even local life. Why should the world take what you say seriously, why should you be a regional power, or a leader in the comity of Islamic nations?

Truth is, there is only one way to get change, and it’s not hanging the people who killed these boys. It is raising your voice to contradict people who advocate death for others, no matter who they are speaking of. To internalise that murder of any kind, for anyone is wrong. Sounds easy? Well just try it.

Reader Comments (586)

Well said, son. I honor the place where your earnestness and my smirk becomes one. This charade will continue with its merry obliviousness as the floods wash away, and we retreat back to our lives in our cushioned cocoons. Recommend

Fasi! I share 1000% your point of view that our whole nation is rotten and blood thirsty like the Roman era crowd who loved to watch bloody fights of gladiators or burning Christian alive on the cross or throwing them in front of hungry beasts. This was part of entertainment and now what the crow did by clubbing the two innocent brothers to death also reflects the deep routed violence and intolerance we exercise to each other worse than animals.

And still we people of Pakistan want recognition among the civilized world??? What a shame for our country and its people. Recommend

Feel shame? Us? Never! A convenient conspiracy theory will come up in a day or two to explain everything away, and we can then play the victim. I may sound cynical, I would do anything if everyone would prove me wrong and make me eat my words.Recommend

Call it the beginning of the Reunited Kingdom of Pakistan, we should try communism after decades of failing democracy now; until we all get a little sense in our foolish minds. Only then we will deserve to be democratic!!
As a pakistani who wishes to see his country #his people rise again from the ruins once again to become honorable humans who knows how to live with other humans muslims or non muslims, it is time.
Either now is the beginning or now is the end…..Recommend

They were not only educated people, but typical what we can find in a relatively well off parts of Pakistan. Mixture of hypocricy, bribery and a touch of religion. True Muslim or not? does that matter when true Kafirs don’t do this either??Recommend

This mentally deranged lot of 180 million residing in pakistan needs to be quarantined. It is a society that produces nothing but hate against others and gladly cheers brutality and celebrates killing of other human beings. And yet believes itself to be the torch bearer of “islam”.
The folks living there, the educated ones, the “elite” and the average person in the street are all sick in the head. I have lost all hope in them.Recommend

I agree with Fussy. But fussy i think that the matter is shows how frustrated and how much angry the people are with the current situation and they only need some thing, event or occasion to take their anger out. This was one such incident. There had been such cases before, if you remember three thieves were burnt alive in Karachi and a days later a similar act took place in Lahore. But this one was unique as the police was there to support the angry mob. It is failure of state and law enforcing agencies that caused people to took law in their hands. The police is equally as guilty as the mob and most of all the man with camera who had sense to make videos of persons dying but no sense to make a try to save them.Recommend

Finally something decent published in the express tribune. I share your sentiments. Good job.. It wreaks of bitterness, but I guess that is what all of us have been forced to come to in this country.Recommend

What happened in Sialkot is without question barbaric and worthy of shame. However to use that to conclude that the entire country is worthy of shame and deserving of visa restrictions, etc. is an over-reaction. In the same country, there are also those who have very humane qualities, and at the same time, there are others outside of Pakistan who are guilty of all sorts of crimes, including police brutality in public view. At the end of the day, there are good and bad people everywhere. It is not particularly helpful to tar the whole country with the same brush just because we are angry about a very horrific case in our midst. It is perhaps more appropriate to ensure justice is served in this case, and served in a manner so as to be a warning to others. Recommend

marvelously true fasi zaka.my heart bleed more even if i m sitting away & i m not a pakistani.even the killings in my kashmir didnt disturb me much as did d moronic video played on tv channels of pakistanRecommend

pathetically true fasi zaka.my heart bleed more even if i m sitting away & i m not a pakistani.even the killings in my kashmir didnt disturb me much as did d moronic video played on tv channels of pakistanRecommend

Freaking reaction to the disgusting tragedy is doomed to be nothing more than a momentary fizzle.

Only cool, rational, introspective, critical and positive approach can lead Pakistan forward.

Let’s look at the events of street vigilantism, the ones I remember:

Burning of bandits in Saddar Karachi
Burning of Bandits in Korangi, Karachi
Beating-till-death of bandits in Metroville area, Karachi. The bandits were also tied to a jeep and dragged on streets
Murder of a Hindu worker in a factory by a mob of “Muslim” co-workers on alleged “Tauheen-a-Risalat” remarks
Murder of two Christian brothers in Sialkot by a mob. They were accused of using defamatory remarks for the holy prophet
Murder/lynching of the young Butt brothers in Sialkot by a mob
All ‘street justice’ performed by the Taliban terrorists in Swat/Malakand (including whipping, slaughtering, hanging and chopping off body parts
All incidents of Karo-Kari where unqualified ‘jurists’ ask for murder of people, some after gang rape :-(
Throwing of Kainat Soomro in front of dogs in Karachi by an honor bitten mob comprising of her family members

This macabre practice of ‘street justice’ has been rampant in our society.

“Killing the murderers of Butt brothers at the lynching spot”, as our interior minister reportedly has vomited today, is equal to justifying violence, promoting it and institutionalizing it. Rehman Malik shall apologize for making such irresponsible and stupid remarks, despite of heading the law enforcing agencies!

We need to look deeper than the skin. The problem lies within us. Within all of us. I completely agree with Fasi. Recommend

Most excellent. I share his opinion and feelings because this is exactly how I feel being a Pakistani. We don’t deserve the label of Muslims or even Humans. We feel entitled, entitled for what? Only for the wrath of Allmighty that is well underway. We have betrayed our founders and millions of people who struggled for this country. Shame on us, shame on you, shame on me and shame on every Pakistani!Recommend

I totally agree with the writer. It’s time we realize our own mistakes instead of pointing out at others. We have made enough fool of ourselves to the world. It’s time we accept our mistakes and try to change our attitude.
We point at government while we break the laws ( breaking traffic signals, bribing policemen, etc ) !
And by the way, we are the ones who choose the government.

So what’s democracy here in Pakistan? Just electing the government? a small part of the meaning of democracy — by the people –
Where’s for the people thing?
Democracy is based on the philosophical principle of equal rights. But where are the rights of the people? And if there aren’t, why are we silent?

I can understand your rage but you have gone overboard with misplaced disdain and a tinge of elitism. To suggest that somehow, the Pakistani public largely comprises inhuman jihadis is preposterous. There is plenty of humanity in our rural areas among the poor and “uneducated” as well. Consider for example that the person who first alerted authorities to Mukhtaran Bibi’s plight was the local village imam who made a sermon in the mosque condemning the culprits and preventing Mukhtaran from committing suicide (read Nicholas Kristof’s account of how the story in his new book). There are plenty of such unsung good people among Pakistan’s faithful poor as well. Prejudice exists in all societies and Pakistanis are no different. Mob mentality and violent voyeurism can be found all over the world as well. We should condemn atrocities such as the Sialkot incident and certainly work on reform but spewing out such vitriol for an entire nation serves little purpose other than sardonic shock value. Self-criticism is good — self-hatred is not. Recommend

Kudos Mr. Zaka for setting the record straight. We are a failed state because of our own moral decline and we are to be blamed for the cold blooded murder. We all have pharoahs in our cities and we let them do injustice and many a times defend those very criminals and/or become a party to them. We should be ashamed of ourselves. All of us have the blood of those boys on our hands. All of us.Recommend

Perhaps for the first time in my life, i totally agree with Fasi. Change ourselves, forget about others; thats the only way out of this deep dark hole we are in as a nation. Take my words on this Fasi, I will try.Recommend

Its after much contemplation that i’ve found words to write here because the column has really put me to shame. It is shameful how indifferent we have become as collective people to tragedies. i, like many members of the passive TV audience, hid my face when the footage was being aired but its not just one incident – we the silent spectators did the same when women were being whipped in Swat, when people are murdered in the name of honour, when people were flogged amidst scores of people during martial law regimes. I can barely lift my head so hung in shame.
@ Fasi Zaka: Your emotion, in comparison to your otherwise ironic satire is much more hard hitting. Its not the kind of writing where you would be told its a great piece, instead plz register that it has a heart-ripping vocal characteristic, your readers can hear you out.Recommend

I can not agree more… lets stop fooling ourself… instead of focusing on conspiracy theories, we should try to set our internal matters right…
to be very honest, after this sad incident, i feel we have reached a point of no return.Recommend

We are a failed state not because of Zardari or America or any other external or internal conspiracies. We are a failed state because of our justice system. Because of our failed courts. Because these courts allow murderers to run free. Because these courts fail to make decisions and linger a case on for ages.

a failed people,
all of us undeserving of sympathy. We
are diseased, rotten to every brain
stem, world please make an
impenetrable fence around us, keep us
all in so we don’t spread it to other
people, other countries.

every time i am about to add a comment the location is automatically selected to ‘sialkot’….rather eerie

@Fasi, man hopefully you are ready for the ‘oh what has Islam and religious intolerance to do with this’ retorts coming your way,

as for mussarat, technically sartorial preferences should not be used to identify ideological leanings, but in our ‘land of the pure’ it is a pretty good indicator because that is how people perceive it to be…and what is important in societies are perceptions not realities since it is easier to make sweeping generalizations rather than infer conclusions from cold hard facts.

Great article though, human cockroaches sounds about right,…further, wont be surprised if nothing happens to the accused in the sialkot case, when you have the DPO receiving his own orders of house arrest, it is beyond a joke.Recommend

How can we deny this now? We can’t. I am tired of arguing with Pakistanis leaving Pakistan to go to other countries and live an an immigrant. I have lost the argument. If they want to go, they are, maybe right. We hit the bottom now (oooh please, not more than this). As a nation, with such glorious plans when we got freedom, look at the mess we have produced. This is pathetic. Maybe this land has always been a pocket of opporunity for a few idiots (ruthless to the core). They have focused so much on their individual being that they have totaly messed up the system.
We need to change – and change big now. It is not a fever, it is a cancer. The biggest questions is – how can we get rid of this ? as long as they are here, they wont lets us change an inch (disturbs their plans). Recommend

Are we a country of failed people? We have failed repeatedly to choose good leaders, to edeucate ourselves, to free ourselves of ignorance – and of hate.

We are a country of wait around and complainers. And – YET – I honestly cannot agree that we are a failed people (although probably a failed state) because when we need to we will enterprise and find oppurtunities to help each other.

I know self loathing is a national state of mind – on both an individual and national level – but consider this: What you are unhappy with (possibly) is that most of Pakistan is different? No, not the lynch mob. But that they would according to you choose right wig conservative leadership.
You hate their ideals, beliefs and opinions. You hate the stuff they are made of.
This makes you a one man mynch mob.Recommend

The best article I have read in the last few years of being back in Pakistan hands down. Congratulations, you hit the nail on the head. Sadly however, only a small english speaking and reading portion of the population will get your message. I would seriously suggest translating this into urdu and printing it.

Being a minority in Pakistan is a terrifying experience. When the majority treats each other like they did in Sialkot, we shudder to think of what would happen to us in a similar situation. This is why the majority of well padded minorities are leaving Pakistan. Recommend

I couldn’t agree more. I loathe this nation and everything we represent. And you’re right: we’re all culpable, because no-one cares enough to actually do a damned thing about this. People make lame excuses about how we’re powerless and blah. The reality is, if it doesn’t affect you directly, you don’t care. And I include myself in that too.

Forget fencing; bomb us back into the Middle Ages. And if I hear religion being used one more time as a pathetic justification or excuse for stuff like natural calamities, I’ll…

Mr. Fasi your first paragraph speaks it all. We have to look inwards. Our rotten education system and polluted history only of likings to some. A total change of plugs and points including change of oil and oil filter as well. I agree to what you have penciled down. This time all makes sense. If we want to move forward then it is necessary to learn lot of lessons from past deeds.Recommend

Dear Fasi,
I have similar views but feel justice in Pakistan again like most things are for rich and powerful only. Sialkot incident, is a culture set up by politicians, Media and Police. When two men when were burned to death by shop-owners in Karachi, for looting nothing was done, in fact a protest was carried out later for even investigating the incident. People have never gotten justice and feel that police and justice system will only harass them. I agree with you but incidents like this will keep happening because Pakistan human cockroaches will never get justice and unfortunately they will be exploited by groups like Mualvis, Talibans, Politicians and others. Recommend

i disagree on the point that no one deserves death. I think the problem is that people fear no consequences for their actions, there is no real accountability for anyone. Islam the way it is preached makes these people arrogant. Kill a few people, and establish the facts of what will not be tolerated no matter what the cost, and I am sure people will come into line. Who will disseminate justice is another problem that must be handled before we go that far however. The situation is complex, and the root causes are many. They should be addressed before society as a whole can reflect any semblance of normal or decent human behaviour. We keep allowing barbarism to flourish, and even reward it. We pretend we are not materialistic and the west is, while at the same time we respect people for their big cars and never wonder how they got them in the first place. This society is hypocritical to its core.Recommend

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances’-this quote of Shakespeare clearly applies in the mad mad world of “green terrorists” and not the environmentally friendly ones either. mr zaka has laid bare the fabric of our existence in terms not too kind and extremely true. it is high time that we enacted the “roles” and read the script we were MEANT to as opposed to the current one in use. why blame the government ony? try self-analysis and be proactive. get off those chairs and leave the coffees behind,ladies and gentleman! the curtain has risen and the world awaits.Recommend

Great piece of work and finally an article which does not blame the president or the judiciary or natural calamities or USA or the Jews or any other conspiracy theory for our miseries. We as a nation have deteriorated and sialkot and Prem Chand are probably the epitomy of how regressed we actually are. Having said all of that i think that everyone on this forum or any other discussion one has with friends or Co workers on our current state tends to only to point out the problems and no one ever focuses on the solution itself. Yes many might say education is the key to all these problems, but even when the whole nation has joined hands to rehabilitate the flood affected victims not even one person has focused or talked about providing education or opening up of schools for the affected. Please i urge all to lets be part of the solution rather than making futile attempts of pointing out the wrongs in our country

I think the writer hit the nail : ” There is such a sense of sickening moral superiority in Pakistanis, it needs to be addressed. All we care about is foreign policy, eager to point out the hypocrisies of the world, silent on our domestic, or even local life.” Recommend

Awesome expression of your feeling. Everybody wants to say but you said it in one article. Fasi, I like this thing which you wrote in last paragraph, they must not be hanged in same way like our so called corrupt politician said. They should be punished to live whole life in jail away from family that they could feel the pain which these kids mother would be feeling. One more thing on which i would shame on our government, they fail to resolve the issue. Does anyone know that village is NO GO AREA these days because these villagers are not allowing anyone to come in and a lawyer among them saying. It is usual response from a mob and we have no grief on it.He said this on media, whole village is still supporting this act. Shame on us and government which is able to stop them doing this and proving this as act to be rightful. Please the show with Asma sherazi on sama tv….She brought the view from other party. They have no commiseration on what they had done…shame on police, whole Govt, so called AC/DC and everyone.Recommend

true! but those brutal cannibals should be given the same torture that was given to the young teenagers. And this torture should be given publicly to assure people that their lives are not worthless and those who would dare to commit such crimes would be dealt with iron hands.Recommend

Fasi,
I dont live in Pakistan anymore but this is the exact reaction I had when I saw the videos and the article on tv here in Australia.
reading your views is almost like saying the feelings I had in my heart and still do.
Thank you for being so honest. Thank you for saying the things that somneone needed to say.
We are a dispicable race of people and sadly alot of educated Pakistanis would have stood around and watched the beating if they were there on the day. Not many would have the guts to step in to try and stop it. Why? For the fear of being beaten to death.
And just to put a thought out there..
Imagine if these two muslim boys were beaten to death exactly the same way but in New York by locals (Christians, Jews or Athiests) or in Amsterdam by locals, or in London by locals or in Australia by locals… what would everyone do back home?
There would be such an uproar. People would be burning tyres and flags of the country back home and demanding some sort of justice. Perhaps a huge strike and more deaths would occur while this unrest would pick up pace – Do you agree with me?
But the funny part is, now that it happened back home to Paksitanis by Pakistanis, it doesnt get the same attention. How is that?
This goes the same for Suicide bombings. Pakistanis killing each other just gets a sigh. If it was an American or a Jew who blew himself up in a Mosque, the whole country would be in uproar and wanting to declare war on the country of origin.
Pakistanis have officially stooped down to such a low level that its hard for me to call myself one. It is hard for me to stand up for the countries reputation anymore…
I have given up.
Cockroaches —–> We are!
AmenRecommend

Dear Fasi, very well written and rightly pointed out thoughts. I can feel the anger and disgust of you heart, which is absolutely right and justified. A different angle to the same incident!! *We are a failed nation because we have failed people!* Very correct observation but I would agree here wtih AJ that the majoity of Pakistan got to know this! But I know it’ll be difficult for you to get it done in Urdu a) because you are not an Urdu writer b) I don’t think Urdu newspaper would publish such stuff as it can badly affect their readership / circulation because people do not want to read the truth :-( sadly!
I would on the other hand disagree with Ayesha Ijaz Khan! We are as a nation responsible for this act because this is not an individual act but a collective evil that the society has done and Fasi has rightly pointed out that represented the richness of Pakistan. yes, there are some *good* people but those *good* do not have courage to come forward, condemn and hold hands of such *evils*!!Recommend

@Babar;@Fasi Dont you guyz understand the difference between a mob clubbing 2 innocent boys to death in public and public execution of a convict under the Sharia law. Believe me on this and I can bet my life that NO SUCH INCIDENCE WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE IF WE HAD TRUE ISLAMIC LAWS IN PAKISTAN. I think we all need to educate ourselves and specially in terms of the philosophies behind the Sharia Laws before commenting on them like novice fools.Recommend

What happened in Sialkot is truly lamentable and needs to be criticised vehemently. But the way you painted the nation you (and I) belong to only reflects our collective guilt. Mind you every body doesn’t approve of such sadism that puts at stake our collective identity. To come out of this maligned situation, we have to abort the whole system once for all.Recommend

Finally someone says it the way it should be said. Sorry my fellow Pakistani’s most of you will still not understand this article and will continue to be indifferent to basic humanity. Just dont be surprised when one day there are real fences keeping you inside the country.Recommend

totally agree fasi! we living overseas are speechless on this shameful incident happened, i am no more in the position of justifying anything happening on that soil anymore cz we have humiliated ourselves in the eyes of the world…moreover, even if this appalling incident can any one explain to what immediate measures to true justification has been done even though everyone knows who those barbarians are….no doubt we deserve to be rejected by the entire world as a nationRecommend

I am shamefully thinking about it as I am by boron Pakistani and might be died with the same nationality, I believe that we have no right to take this type of discussion but collectively we prove that we have faces like human but instinctually more brutal then animals Recommend

@Bilal Aftab.. Islam is not just the Shariah Law. Such things WILL happen even if you have Shariah laws in Pakistan unless you have true Islam in Pakistan. There is no point in making a law if no one is going to follow it. Problems can be solved even with the present law and some amendments if required but only IF people stick to law. If you impose Sharia law, then you guys will be fighting again about “REAL SHARIAH”. Have you forgotten my friend how many sects do you have ? So just stick to the law and good ethics… learn to say what is right and what is wrong and give people their rights and everything will be ok. BUT.. having said that, this is easier said than done. Recommend

well said fasi ……….. these cases are happening every now n then here ..even in karachi ….. but the point is this one got highlighted . yes we are mentally sick peoples … we shudnt be blaming govt, religion or the country but only ourselves ….. i hope people might now gather themselves united on this issue and bring some change …. may be this footages brings out the human hidden inside us …. may be the upcoming of this footage is a trigger to pull our threshold …. reminding us enough is enough… . may be …… Allah hidayat day. Ameen Recommend

Perhaps the author forgot to add a disclaimer. Let me do it for him, on behalf of the author, I would like to apologize to the entire cockroach community. You guys deserve much better than being compared to Pakistanis. Recommend

Yes we are dangerous – very dangerous!
I am full of disgust at the moment and yes it will be dangerous because those who aren’t from my country will see the real face of PAKISTAN!
What the hell went wrong with the founders of this country? Didn’t the foresee that a nation they thought then would eventually mold into a bunch of hyenas feasting on human flesh?
I at least am having substantial loss of self-esteem and there is no excuse I am making for myself or anyone who lives on the same plain as I do. Yes, the world is right to ridicule my religion, my flesh and my green passport on and on because I am a threat – I am as dangerous to them as I am to my own country. We educated lot sit in our cozy offices and type away our hatred for those who commit heinous crimes opening and that too in mobs. I will not lie to anyone about being a Pakistani and in return getting a shoe on my face. I havent done anything right for this country. I didn’t do anything to stop the cold blooded brutal massacre of the two brothers in Sialkot. I never do anything about the killings which happen off camera often. I just have no words to tell you how you should be careful of me… my people have defined the real culture and heritage of this country and it is absolutely remarkable that no one actually has the face to object to it. Yes we are labelled rightfully! Danger we pose for our own people, we just don’t know where to stop and then when an outsider comes in and tries to dictate his terms we object and stamp our feet around in protest.
Where are all those who protest for rights? Those who come on the streets when the government raises prices on sugar and wheat? Where are you bloody people? Are you not having the face to make a public appearance anymore?
Democracy is the best revenge, so says the brat of the existing rat. Well then where is the implementation of this democracy?

WHERE IS ISLAM FOR GOD SAKES! STOP THE BLOODY RIDICULING PAKISTANIS – IN NO TIME SPITS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL RAIN DOWN UPON HERE!Recommend

But what about the handful of us (literally) who are stuck in this god forsaken place, scared for our own lives when speaking up for Ahmedis, Christians, Women, Children and against brutality and moral decay as a whole? I don’t want to be fenced in with these animals. I don’t deserve to be. I don’t believe in the self righteous religious hypocrisy spreading like a disease in every segment of the population, educated and uneducated. I hate it. I think the people who have the opportunity to complete 4 years of college in a Midwest private college only to return and have the audacity to be unapologetic about holding unfounded beliefs like how Ahmedis are not Muslim, or blowing up Jews is an act of goodwill, or beating a woman is acceptable, are the worst of the lot. You are right. Pakistanis are the problem. We are sick. We don’t deserve to leave. And our mothers brought us up to be this way. Its not the system. Its not the Americans. Its just what we have been infected with since birth. In fact when I get out of here I make every effort NOT to be associated to Pakistanis. And I am unapologetic. I don’t want to be one of them. Im embarrassed. And I guess if that makes me unpatriotic, so be it! My grandfather didn’t fight for independence for this Pakistan. And I know that tomorrow, if I put my name on an article condemning the inhumanity of the Pakistani peoples beliefs, and their states laws I would be a target as well.
So what do we do Fasi. What do we do?Recommend

I am surprised how people claim that they are proud Pakistanis. What world owe to us? Why do we deserve world’s sympathy? Because we are humans? Are we really what (human) we claim to be? Put this shameful incident aside, aren’t these the Pakistanis who commit mass murders in markets, in theaters, in parks, and other public places? Aren’t those the Pakistanis who defend such heinous crimes? Are we still proud Pakistanis? Well I feel ashamed of being one today.Recommend

Just for a second, can we all not take refugee or provide justification from/to Islam and think only for a second, only for second, just think as a HUMAN …. coz if we will answer this question we will get all the answers that fortunately will lead to/from Islam.
(BTW Alhamdoliah I am a very proud practicing Muslim)Recommend

I completely agree with this article, in fact i think that if the people who participated in beating the poor boys up are killed publicly in the same manner, no one in their right mindset will even think about committing this act ever again……Recommend

Let’s recognize evil and fight it and speak for justice. But Pakistan is not a failed state, certain people have failed. And they will be punished in this world and the next inshAllah. Let us continue to keep trying and to strive to do good and make Pakistan a better placeRecommend

An extremely over-reacted and radical claim. This journalist is clearly speaking out of hate after seeing the video of the two Sialkot brothers. I, partly, agree with him that certain people in Pakistan should have their self-esteem lowered…. But that, however, does not mean Pakistanis are ‘human cockroaches.’ This columnist should first research on the several types of ‘cockroaches’ residing in our world. To prove my point, I have ten examples:

RUSSIA – A place where the Mafia runs a muck and where a Russian dies every 18 minutes, averaging 84 deaths per day.

BRAZIL – Street crime is rampant in parts of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, organized criminal groups have waged wars against police and public institutions that were unable to be bribed, prison riots are brutally suppressed, drugs and narco-terrorism claim civilian casualties.

SOUTH AFRICA – Rape capital of the world.

BURUNDI – A country with no absolute authority faces regular muggings, car-jackings, kidnappings, and mass murder.

AFGHANISTAN – Banditry, tribal violences, drug-related violence, and suicide bombings. Also the world’s largest supplier of hashish and opium.

SOMALIA – A failed state known for its anarchy, corruption, lack of government, and starvation.

SUDAN – Some of the worlds most famous killers have earned their stripes in Sudan, finishing with degrees in car-bombing, rocket launching and genocide. Desperation, death and destruction are synonymous with Sudan.

COLUMBIA – Kidnapping is the main worry, with 2,338 kidnappings in 1998. Ranked fourth in the world for murders, and supplies 75% of the world’s cocaine.

IRAQ – It is a ruined nation that is racked with violence, despair and confusion. Improvised Explosive Devices, Explosively Formed Penetrators, and mines are a constant threat, as are suicide bombers who have slain hundreds. Kidnappings and random killings are reported with almost mind-numbing frequency. Truly, a hell on earth.

US of A – There are more than 50 murders a day, 10 times that of Germany. Nearly 5000 people die a year in truck crashes, about 6000 pedestrians die on the streets and 31000 people end their own lives. The USA now leads all nations in violent crime. Militias, hate groups and other right wing radicals all spread their message of violence and are known to throw around the odd pipe-bomb. The government is not much better, spending a whopping $600 billion a year on defence in order to contain the handful of nations hostile to it.

So, Fasi, please think twice before you blatantly claim us to be the ‘human cockroaches,’ and do not base your claim out of hate.Recommend

i agree with fassi on some points. Yes, we are failed to prove ourselves as a civilized nation. Civilized is a big jargon for us, we haven’t touched the limits of being a human and this inhumanity is portrayed through our actions. If few people are ready to pollute this pond it doesn’t mean that we are lacking few good men too. InshaAllah there will be a evolution :)Recommend

Good one, however, “stop demeaning yourself and us.” Yes, we are flawed human beings but don’t just go out of the away to discredit us of our humanity and right to exist and struggle for higher principles. Yes, we are all part of the problem, why not become a part of the solution. Why are we so damn obsessed with our reputation? Lets start by rewriting the wrongs and putting things to right. For once, people are appalled, why not seize the opportunity to recycle some of this mess into a formidable future? Are we going to give up, and blame our ancestors and brains for everything. Can one of us, give a hand to those who have fallen, help those who ask for it and share some basic human values. Can we all not unite for once and for Pakistan’s sake. Oh no! Cos its easy to blame, duck and retire. We all do it, its infectious and we need a Messiah to set it right. Guess what there is none………lets all unite and become one, until we really find out how cockroaches live and trust me, its no fun. Lets try and spread the message of Humanity, Humility and Happiness. And yes, these religious zealots, we can root them out, but that takes a revolution and of course an intellect that sees through time. As long as the sun is out, the light is there, we still can see and find a way. Lets rise to the occasion and show some chivalry (lets hope there is some left).Recommend

Great article Fasi bhai.. you are one of those journalists who really cares about these bloody events and mistreatment towards minorities. I want to thank you because you exposed mistreatment with Ahmadis as I am an Ahmadi. I was in the model town mosque on 28th may for juma prayer at the time of attack. I have seen that whole bloody episode with my own eyes and was waiting for my turn however Allah saved me. But i was very much dis hearted after hearing some journalists on these attacks however after reading you I got confidence that still some people are present in Pakistan who support right and discourage bad. Regards. Usama Waheed.Recommend

what the hell is this article going to do??? what difference will it make??
The feelings this article talks about are mutually shared by every civilised brain of pakistan; probably all of the readers of this newsletter.
But why dont you go out there and try to change things??

For me, I am at the stage where I am still completing my education. However I did have a petition signed and handed over to governmental authorities(and international NGOs) to do something to prevent the lawlessness that exists in this society. Anyway, they respond that it is a secondary concern for this country; a minor issue…
But bloody hell, when is this going to be addressed?

what surprises me the most, is a question i’d like to ask everybody here…

did you never read the newspapers before? or is actually that since you saw this inhumane gruesome act, did you realize that, ooh! this also happens on our country…

what hurts the most, is that we forget those who stood up before and were always shut-up by our soo called ‘elites’.
those who have power, those who had status…never had traditions, etiquettes, the decency…
do you know, that dozens of such innocent youngsters are kidnapped, tortured, murdered. females are shot dead by their own family members for having court marriages. young girls are made to marry the Holy Quran in villages so that the elders don’t have to disperse their lands!

on the other side, i am glad that millions have had an eye-opener to realize the sensitivity of our nation’s cultural backwardness.

But then again Fasi, why did it have to be that 2 teenage boys were brutally murdered and you came to talk about the cruelty of our nation’s mindset.

It’s been here for ages…
And the solution to this, is pretty simple…

Remove from Man, the thought that he can become god!
it is in man, his Chauvinism, his ego…which has derailed our country…
The day you drive your car, avoiding even an inch of dirt falling on a passer-by will you be making an effort in becoming a human again.

only then, will we talk about being a muslim…
and that, my friends, is a whole debate altogether…Recommend

well said fasi….but the problem is that we pakistanis are very good at criticizing, blaming others but we r not even ready to rectify our own mistakes…there has always been lack of practical measures in us, be that any problem….we always critisize the leaders but dun accept the fact that they are there bcz of our votes and surprisingly every time we vote for them….we ciritsize the system but never ready to change it…non of us is ready to accept own committed blunders….we just log on to internet and find some where to write a comment or argue with others and then we feel that our duty is fullfilled!!! khud apne gariban mein kub jankenge??? the youth who was the hope of Qaid e azam is never seen, whatever problem the nation facesRecommend

If i may point out,the incident that happened in sialkot is nothing new, incidents like these have happened before in karachi and other areas too,we and the magic word is WE never noticed it either, we the educated are part of the pervasive mindset that exist,we exist in fantasy of being actually part of the american and european world while the not so educated live with the self righteous religious view that the rest of the world is all of infidels, we..WE have to change for the middle and lower classes to change.Recommend

Brutality is never justified. It has no religion, no culture , no race, no home, it erupts and satiate the devil’s will and disappears. Its not a constant systematic process, Which represents a society or culture.The only way out from brutality is to soften people with education, norms and traditions. Such type of event can occur any where in the world when the sane becomes insane and rationale wipes away with cannibalistic approach. Fasi is true in a sense that its a shameful event for the people standing around the the scene.We have a lot of people they are soft, cultured and civilized. We have to remain alive and we have to prove our rich culture of kindness and love. surely we will. Recommend

Seeing what happened in Sialkot, I’m scared to leave home. Call me paranoid, but I have found myself wondering when stepping out of the car, whether a blood thirsty mob will attack me some day too.

Seeing a long list of such incidents, it not only shows what we’re made up of but also demonstrates failure on behalf of the state which has not conclusively made an example of any such attacking mob. I’m afraid that this incident like others will also be brushed under the carpet.

The question is where do we go from here? How can in our own individual ways we protect these incidents?Recommend

Tarring the whole nation with a black brush does not serve any purpose. We need to rationally analyse the episode and to try to find the real reasons behind this sordid incident. Opposing an emtional outburst with one of our own is not the answer. We have to keep our cool, critically dissect the whole thing and come up with solutions. Many brutal acts are happening in many different parts of the world. But they do not blame the whole nation for the act of a few individuals. We have to closely examine and diagnose the malaise and come with treatment rather than throwing in the towel as a nation. Anger, emtionalism and frustration is not an answer to the chaose that we are going through. We should have satisfaction the we have reacted sharply and sternly to every such act of brutality. This act is surely not a representative of the thinking of the whole Pakistani nation. For every scoundrel, there is a hero. We have just to find and nurture them. A nation of 180 million people can’t be pushed into the dustbin for the evil act of a few individuals. A tiny minority of extremists, biggots and morons certainly does not represent me and millions of other Pakistanis who are peaceful, rational, just, dignified, intelligent, honest and magnanimous.Recommend

Good article…and good comments to follow-up. But “look! Outside!…the streets are filling up with a civil army marching towards the constitution to once and for all start the end of this barbaric regime”…..will you join?….right now…RIGHT NOW if the revolution was calling YOU outdoors…would you go?…hell no…we’re too comfortably distracted with the internet at home…a bunch of cowards is what we are…coward speakers…coward listeners…if mr. Zaka has such a voice and can gain such attention…why is he a writer?…if he has such brilliant ideas, why does he pen it…instead of striving to petition it?…why are you not a politician?Recommend

Every time I make a comment, your window, for some reason, shows my location as Sialkot. Today, I guess it is right in an uncanny way, for despite being thousands of miles away I do feel as I and most of us were a part of that mob in Sialkot. I agree with the author in that the Sialkot incident is symbolic of what we have become. I have keenly followed the outpouring of disgust on this incident in the country’s media and have noticed that most (not all) of the dismay has been caused by two factors: One, that the two brothers were most likely innocent and two that the method adopted to kill them was very brutal. Which implies that if these two teenagers or kids (as the civilized world calls and treats the people of their age) were guilty and were killed in a more ‘humane’ manner –e.g. by being shot or slaughtered ala Taliban- that would be deemed acceptable. Hence, a society that finds such dispensation of mob-justice acceptable is, to say the least, is perverse which is unmoved by killing in midst of those who it judges guilty of a crime. As we have seen the range of such crimes in Pakistan can be vast and fungible and can include from a robbery to a love marriage against the established norms, an act of praying by an Ahmedi, an alleged blasphemy by a Christian etc. hence it is the mistakenness and the imagery of the act that has disturbed most people and not the intent. Recommend

Ok here is the thing, why are you stereotyping the whole nation? good and bad people exist everywhere and we need to see the bigger picture from all this aka the Rule of law and what led to a mob murder (as the saying goes, “never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups”, you would understand what I am saying if you understand the psychology of a Mob and how it can b wielded for a benefit) Secondly, No one is proud of what happened but why are we ashamed of our nation and heritage? there is nothing wrong with it. We distorted it and we need to take steps to change our situation and it would have to start at individual level.Recommend

Good work, Fasi!
Though, agree with MOhammed Anwerzada, Sara, and, a few others’ comments.
Because of such blood thirsty, and, various other [around 80% of the population and growing] barbaric scoundrels, probably backed by corrupt people of power, everyone, even the somewhat good, helpless, who are continually persecuted by these law breaking, notorious, stereotypes, that have crept their way like maggots into every nook and cranny of the metropolis/country, have to suffer [physically/mentally] perpetually!Recommend

Please don’t feel bad about using the term cockroaches because the lives we lead are to be honest a lot worse than cockroaches. Unlike cockroaches we’re educated, have tongues and unfortunately a brain that we never use. The murder in Sialkot only reinforces my belief that The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is nothing but a delusional by-product of a more delusional Quaid who actually thought our Jahil people were capable of running a state with ease and oh ‘Brotherhood’. Our country was built on the foundation of millions of dead bodies and it’s great to see not much has changed.
And for the love of God, yes the Muslim god everyone believes in please don’t expect him to come save you because if he does exist he has a lot more to do than deal with a nation that blames everything on wrong doers, gunahgaar and America.
It’s sick to see our country that’s meant to be our home, an Independent state where one should feel safe is now nothing but a psychotic beggar who is ready to kill if he doesn’t get money or his way.
What a jip! Recommend

Thank you all for your comments, i too was shocked to hear about this event, i do not have the stomach to be able to see this video, does anybody know why this happened?
I have heard may comments on how cruel the people of Pakistan are, from various comments on this site and also growing up as a British Pakistani, from media reports, lets face it the only news we hear on TV is bad.
How many times do we see brutal killings on T.V, for instance here the UK – Stephan Lawrance come to mind, from what i recall his killers have walked free! James Boulger ! The list goes on thats just in the UK if one starts about the States or even Europe we will be here all night. But i do not recall any one of these countries being blamed for these acts!
In order to resolve a problem one has to look into the core roots of the problem. Which i personally have done, as i child i only visited pakistan once in 1983-4 at the age of 10 you tend not to notice much other then culture shock. But it was my 2nd visit at 18 when i spent 3 month there i began to question not understand but question. I guess at that age one does, this made me want to understand various cultures and peoples behaviour. Lucky for me landed a career in which i got to travel the world and see and study cultures. The most interesting fact was that most of the poorest actually not most all were divided up in 1947- The whole African – North African, Middle East,India,Pakistan, China , South America the list goes on. This of course was due to the end of the Britsh Empire and other small ones. But what these poor countries were left with was pure rule by proxy – where do you think the dictators have come from, looking after their own interests not the people they govern and of course the IMF – aka the West.

“Keep a race hungry, they will just worry about survival, fill their stomach then they will use their brain, thats when they become dangerous” Those of you smart alleks that have condemed a whole nation over the stupid act of a few need to wake up.

If anyone is to blame for this act its the people that carried it out. The current government of Zardari – this stupid dynasty system embedded in pakistanis, as they have never known true democracy. From Jinnah to now what democracy have the people in Pakistan known. Taken the West thousands of years and countless cival wars to get to where they are and people like you sit and type and condemn a whole race. Suggest you actually try and understand before you make judgement. In this world you have 2 types of people GOOD and BAD nothing to do with race relgion colour. From my extensive travels and studies Pakistan and its people are humble and most welcoming, to understand them one needs to have an open mind theres the old saying “WHEN IN ROME BE A ROMAN” these people find it hard to trust anyone simply due to historical reasons!

Just for the record incase anyone does not know when Pakistan was formed 10 Elite families were given all the land industry and wealth of pakistan, Jinnah was the “Hamid Karazai” at the time who of course was of blue blood.

I suggest to all of you instead of pointing out the problems in Pakistan, lets try and find a solution.

Face it we all care, we just like expressing our anger in differant ways but that is not the solution.

Just for the record iant a religious freak or part of any group or party i am just like every other concerned British Pakistani!

I was so happy to read this article, finally someone said it, we need to be accountable for what we have become as a nation and at the end of the day we have to stop pointing fingers.
After the sialkot incident I haveread many comments such as “I’m ashamed to call myself Pakistani.” but this isnt a first what about the attack on the srilankan team or the attack on the qadiani mosque or the countless honor killings orprem chand being called kafir story or tere bin laden being banned in Pakistan, the outcries against prophet muhammad(PBUH) drawing competitions but not a word when shias, qadianis, sunnis etc are killed.
It really is a sorry state of affairs but I really am sick of the intolerence brewing in this society. Worst of all I am sick of the excuses, the “but america..” or “they are illiterate” or “but look at what the west says” or “india has a hand in it”
Grow up, recognize what OUR problem is so that we can fix it!!!Recommend

I guess people are tired of blaming the government so they resort to blaming themselves. Rightly so in a lot of aspects. I hang my head low for how grave our situation is and continues to be. But is it necessary to wallow in our own cesspool of mistakes and bludgeon ourselves to the point of self-annihilation? There are as many people who admonish the recent events as those who think othwerwise – possibly? Is self-ridicule, mutilation, and punishment going to make our situation any better? No. An acute sense of self-awareness, and probably ten times the confidence to restore faith in ourselves.
I can relate to the cynicism, but only until it ceases to be counter-productive. This article only reinforces our guilt. Sure, you want us to feel like the scum of the earth. But I’m concerned asto whether this little existential rant actually “helped” someone?
You and I can sit and talk about how **** we are, but it isn’t going to help us get back on our feet and fight the nausea and ridicule off.
Panacea for the tortured souls of our country it is not. Let us not dwell for too long on our mistakes and save our faces! Let’s be more positive from hereon in!Recommend

wow, you all really suffer from an innate sense of inadequacy and self loathing.yes, it was a shameful incident, yes if you have any relation to pakistan, you will feel a small measure of resentment for belonging to the same country as these barbarians; and yes, it is wrong to blame it on natural disasters. But saying things like build a fence around us so we dont infect the rest of the world – speak for yourself. there’s good and bad everywhere and yes, we got a little more of ‘bad’ in us but to condemn yourself and the whole nation is taking it abit too far Recommend

Seeing the response to your article gives me some hope that we as a nation do still have a pulse and can feel the pain others feel. I have just one question, assuming it was not two Sunni muslim boys instead they were two christian or hindu boys, would we have the same response? Recent history would suggest otherwise. Keep writing, we may just turn the corner.Recommend

I am surprised that Zaid Hamid has not revealed the Hindu-Jewish hand behind the Sialkot incident yet. Maybe he is waiting for the right moment. After all, we know that the entire police force is penetrated by RAW agents, and most poor Pakistanis are closet Hindus. Besides, Sialkot is only 10 miles from India and we know that RAW now has access to HARaamMY, the super-secret mind control beam developed by the elders of Zion in their secret factory in Bangalore. Its existence was revealed in our last communique (operation Blue Tulsi Two: the Mahabharata conspiracy). In fact, the plan was to beat the two brothers to death and then use their dead bodies to penetrate Kahuta security using the Air Blue coffin service. But dont worry, our super-intelligence agency was able to block them in Sialkot and once again our great agency (number one in the world) has successfully blocked the Brahmin-Zionist plot against Medina Saani…Recommend

I concur with Ayesha Ijaz Khan’s response. What happened in Sialkot is pathetic and deplorable and indeed our heads hang in collective shame. However, this should galvanise us into positive action rather than condemn us into even greater misery and reduction in national pride. I have lived outside Pakistan for many years and there are countless times when I am reminded of what is good about our culture and our society. Everyday I come across people from other countries who are so proud of their heritage. But everytime I come across a fellow Pakistani, they seem embarassed of their background or want to hide it. What we are going through in Pakistan is a mix of very many domestic and foreign policy failures and we are battling extraordinary circumstances. As we salvage our souls from this wreckage, let’s not forget all that is good about us either.
One correction: let’s not be under any illusions that the world cares enough about Pakistanis for our politicians or generals to worry about maintaining a semblance of humanity in our systems. The rest of the world could not care less about Pakistan. You only have to see a comparison of the funds raised for Haiti, Sri Lanka, Tsunami and our floods to understand just how much concern this so-called “international community” has for Pakistanis. While Pakistan is struggling with its worst disaster, the media here cannot escape its obsession with terrorism. This deters public sympathy for the cause and means less aid for Pakistan.Recommend

Once again spoken like a true elitist.
if 20%(or take 40% if you want) of the population has no humanity so the whole nation is inhumane.if so then you are part of the “inhumane”
population.i though only the west was suffering from the 80/20 rule.if some small part of a group is bad, blacklist them ALL as terrorists.
writing an article in English which is being read by only a very teeeny tiny proportion, you have only taken out your own frustration.neither unique nor constructive. Recommend

There is no LAW & ORDER in PAKISTAN, where government officials/officers can be bought to keep there mouths shut or to turn a blind eye.

JUSTICE must be done for the family of these two innocent brothers. I am ashamed to be of Pakistani descent, even though I was born to a British Pakistani couple, which makes me British? Thank GOD!!

I watched the footage and it shocked me to the core, I could in no way describe the feelings of shock, anger and upset it caused me, and if you think about it, this was me watching footage via youtube, did the bystanders not have a heart WHO watched this infront of there eyes?? How could they just stand and watch/record such a hideous crime? It is beyond me. I can say for the past 3 days I have not been able to sleep, or really have an appetite to eat at Sehri or Iftar.

In the month of Ramadan, two innocent life’s were taken, who were at the time fasting. May Allah (SWT) Grant them Jannat e Firdoz Ameen and for those ANIMALS may he grant them HELL FIRE on earth and JAHUNAM in the here after.

I urge people to write to the Pakistan Ministry of Law & Justice, to express there disgust and to demand JUSTICE to be done for the family and that the murderers/policemen are given the same punishment that they seemed was good for these two young brothers. It may or may not make a difference, but at least we are trying to do something positive in the name of Humanity?

A good read.A tragic incident. I for one am ashamed to be a Pakistani today. Pakistan died for me on 15 August, 2010. However,I must add why didn’t the Pakistani nation make such a hue and cry when five girls from Baluchistan were buried alive and than later feudals called it part of our tradition? Oh let me also mention that one of the feudal landlord later become a federal minister. We are all to blame. We were quite than and let injustice be done and now these boys suffered the brunt of our careless attitude.Recommend

Pakistanis need to get over their delusion that simply avoiding sex and shunning the homosexuals gives us some sort of a moral high ground. Morality constitutes a lot more than just our antediluvian conceptions of sex, family and religion.

Some solemn introspection would do us all a world of good. The moment we realize the kind of barbaric-minded neanderthals we’ve all become is the moment we can begin to rectify ourselves.Recommend

‘when i was little i was clever, i wanted to change the world, now that i m old and wise i realize i just need to change myself.’
its time that we realize that everything thats happening around us is because of the misdoings we do everyday, once we realize we all are part of this and have contributed in the failure of this ‘failed state’, we would try to correct ourselves. we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and analyze ourselves, we would realize that the image we see is the problem and the solution at the same time. we need to head back to our roots i.e Quran, and read it with translation, we would immediately realize that all this time the answer to all our queries and the problems we face was lying on that corner of the book shelf all covered in dust. no one is born barbaric or born immoral or violent, the society and the environment around us makes us like that. we need to change that environment by changing ourselves and inshallah that ll prove as a ripple effect and slowly and gradually everything will change. it requires patience and determination, inshallah God will help us with that, we just need to act.
may allah give us the strength and the patience to go through these hard times. Ameen.Recommend

Kudos to you for writing this piece. I know that the minute people see Delhi against my name, the assumption will be that this is another Indian gloating at your sorrow. I just wanted you to know I absolutely feel the same way. We can claim to be completely different people, but really, this corruption, this sickness has a common ancestry. If it’s karo-kari there, the honor killings of couples from the same ‘gotra’ is rampant here,no difference. The Commonwealth games could have been an amazing opportunity for us to showcase the richness of the entire subcontinent, instead it has become a joke of some sort, especially between the government and organizers especially.
The point is, whichever side of the border you might be on, our cribbing is no different, these rants are no different. Most of us will pat ourselves on the back at our consciousness and how progressive and aware we are, but we’re falling into the same trap too. So my question is, what are you we going to do about this? There has got to be a way out of this, i’m not recommending any “revolutionary” solution, I don’t even have one, but there must be some way we can get over ourselves, this self pity, this teenage ranting and move on to do something worthwhile for countries that may be at the bottom of their games, but they are ours nonetheless. Let’s work to find a solution, no matter how small, no matter how many or little people it actually affects.
Till then, thanks for this, gives us all something to ponder. Recommend

August 19th, 2010: I would totally 100% agree with what you wrote. I was very angry and disturbed.

August 24th, 2010: Been thinking about it a lot, I beg to differ for couple of reasons.

If you take a stroll down the history, you’ll come across innumerable ‘Sialkot’ episodes from all over the world. As far as my limited reading and knowledge is concerned, thanks to books and films, crucification of Jesus could be termed as one of the biggest events of brutality. There have been so many crucifications since then, symbolically speaking of course. It convinces me that basically human nature is barbaric and blood-thirsty. They do not let an opportunity pass by where they could shed blood and feel content by doing so. The situation of course gets worse in the times of war and like events.

As a child, I remember having studied various chapters of the Islamic Studies, wherein incidents of brutality were very carefully included. It aimed at proving that there were extreme practices of brutality and barbarianism and that Islam transformed everything. I wanted to believe it, but the subsequent chapters in the book would not let me, as these contained stories of indiscriminative blood-shed. A never-ending blood-shed which took so many lives that one loses account of, including Imam Hussain.

Humans, have this deep down fantasy for such acts and you can say that it’s in their very core (JIBILAT). It can be proved by the historic events that not one class of people or religion could be held responsible for it. Every cast, religion, culture and community, whenever they get an opportunity, does not fail. And this JIBILAT is probably the reason why we tend to portray God as barbaric too. Since childhood, I have been hearing about how God will burn one layer of skin and then reproduce another only to be burnt again and the burning/reproduction session goes on. And this is just one of those frightening stories. I am a believer in God and the Day of Judgment but I fail to appreciate the fact that we are asked to do good deeds in order to be saved from the fires of hell instead of the fact that we must do good anyway.

Once I reach this conclusion, I try to find the difference in countries where such events do not or happen once a while. To my mind, only one explanation and reason comes and that is the reaction to such event. Such a thing would not go unaddressed in countries where there is law and order, accountability and high moral standards. But on the other hand, in a country like ours, we shall come with excuses for such incidents such as this one. There is lawlessness, lack of accountability and lots of frustration. If only once, those responsible were brought to justice and that too by going through the due process and not whims, things would have been different.

The learned friends have quoted some of the few incidents which took place in Pakistan. Many remain unheard and undiscovered. Let me just say one last thing, if we do not stand up against such acts of brutality and it includes doing something to stop the heinous murders of those who are killed in the name of honor and those who are sacrificed by angry mobs under the garb of ‘Toheen-e-Risalat’, we shall be doomed. This has to stop and has to stop now. And therefore we must all think what we can do.

Apologies if my view point hurt anyone’s emotions or feelings. If any, was not deliberate or intentional.Recommend

I feel shame yes, even more so when I read this article and the comments below it. Highly demotivating.
If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes. – St. Clement of AlexandraRecommend

I feel shame yes, even more so when I read this article and the comments below it. Highly demotivating. Don’t think words like these inspire change.
If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes. – St. Clement of AlexandraRecommend

if the violent actions of the few are an indication of the majority then what does Jamie Bulger, Baby P , the SOham murders, and the beheading of PC Blakelock say about my people, the British…
this stuff happens, its not Pakistani, or islmaic, any more than the violence in Britain is British or ChristianRecommend

Yes, What ever happened in that incident, it proves that we have been failed. Yes, We should stop this blaming approach now. We should give up this projected approach that every incident or problem is brought by States or Government. It is easy to blame others than rectifying yourself.

We should stop enforcing our mind steps on others. It is a common phenomena that every one in my country believes that he/she is the sub contractor of God and take this approach in a very negative manner.

When your own home is burning you dont run to save your neighbor’s home. We should stop asking “AZAB” prayers for every non Muslim. Save yourself from “AZABS” first.Recommend

It is pretty well written, and I agree with some of the stuff he is saying. But then our nation is one that redeems itself, and prides itself with the want of improvement.
That is why the video of the brutal murders are up on news channels and not hushed in the background. That is why we are acting as one to stop the disastrous effects of the floods. We want to help each other recover.
If this was any other nation I would feel the same way about the people who are responsible, as a Pakistani I am ashamed of what happened in Sialkot, but my, as well as millions of other Pakistanis, redeeming quality is that I recognize that this occurs and want to raise awareness and ‘fix’ the situation.
Human cockroaches? I don’t think so.Recommend

Everyone seems to agree with Fasi but neither he nor any of the contributor is suggesting what should be done. There is already a fence around us. No one not even our fellow Islamic countries would allow us to visit them or come to see us. It is obvious that the main reason for our becoming so intolerant is our over-zealousness on our religion. The more we go that way, the more cruelty we see. The CJ is taking notice of this particular case but he needs to look at the causes of the disease and not just these symptoms. His comment that he needs to oversee the work of the parliament so that it does not go for secularism is a sad reflection of our institutions and the people who are running them. Till we have such people at the top, unfortunately there is not much hope for our society.Recommend

I am writing these words with some tears in my eyes….now we cannot take them back ……. but this incident gives us another chance to rise as a nation …… if we only condem it and forgive after few days then i am agreed with you …. but i could says that i was the part of that crowed with jeanRecommend

Why has it taken an incident of such incomprehensible severity for a nation to finally begin to be introspective and address the deeply embedded social issues that have led to this destruction of the moral fabric of society? Sialkot the birthplace of Iqbal – he is probably turning in his grave… Recommend

Well said Fasi Zaka. However, I am sickened of and shudder at the ‘revenge’ being suggested by some, demanding ‘death by equal torture in a public place’ to the perpetrators. But would that not make those who demand,execute and gleefully witness this barbarity as guilty as the Sialkot mob.What we need is ‘justice’ and not revenge. Or have we stopped believing in ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’.
Incidentally, I am also reminded of a court of ‘justice’, in a country I would rather not name, asking medical doctors to find ways of rendering an accused paralysed as justice for causing such an injury to another.We need to find a better conception of justice and FAST.

Times like these make me wonder why God even bothers to let this twilight parody of a state even continue its existence. We live our lives, lacking anything better to do; devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. Our existence is random. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the teenagers. Not fate that gives the mob their squalid sacrifice to whet its appetite till the next, nor is it destiny that lynches with extreme prejudice. It’s us. Only us. Recommend

thank you for exposing us as the mass of sickening we really are. i am guilty of it too. we are judgmental to a fault, yet completely lacking in a collective conscience and incapable of action when action is what is really required. we are stuck in a system that is rife with hypocrisy, paradoxes and an inability to do any internal soul searching to see what is really wrong with us. we can blame the whole world for everything and never take responsibility for our own failure and for becoming the miserable, dysfunctional, cowardly pieces of that we have become as a nation. let’s pray five times a day and fast for redemption and then kill two innocent people in the middle of the streets, in the middle of ramzan because we are so self-righteous and convinced of our own moral superiority as individuals, that we can justify every wrong action we take. You know what? God has forsaken us and it’s about time. Let me go self-flagellate because that’s what i feel like doing every time i realize i’m Pakistani.Recommend